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We're excited to share with you our last update to The Long Dark's Sandbox in Early Access. We're calling this update: FAITHFUL CARTOGRAPHER

CHANGES

* User Interface Overhaul. All screens, buttons, HUD elements, etc. have been updated to better match the game's aesthetic, along with some usability changes in anticipation of our August 1st launch of WINTERMUTE.

* Accessible Interactions. We've added a new option in the Control settings, for players who suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and similar conditions. This makes all click/press+hold interactions a single click/press.

* Save System Overhaul. We've recreated our save system from scratch to future-proof the game. As a result, all previous Sandbox saves are now invalid. Saves from FAITHFUL CARTOGRAPHER will not be wiped at our 1.0 launch.

* Charcoal Mapping. Collect Charcoal from burned out fires. Use it to Survey your local area, updating your local region map with information about what you can see from your current position. The new Navigation section of the Radial and Main Nav provides access to the Map.

* Carcass Quartering System. In addition to the previous harvesting mechanic, you can now "Quarter" a carcass into bags of harvestable meat, allowing you to transport them to a better location for further harvesting.

* Scent System & HUD Element. Blood (your own, or from carcasses) makes you more attractive to predators. The Strength of the attraction is indicated by the new HUD element.

* Visual Updates. We've updated the lighting, fog colour, and fog distance, providing much longer vista views in the game which makes it easier to navigate by visible landmarks. We've also been updating interior lighting. We'll be continuing this work right up to our August 1st launch.

* First-Person Presence. The following tools have been updated with first-person hands: Rifle, Bow, Distress Pistol, Stim, and all Light Sources.

* Thrown Flares & Torches. We've removed Brandishing and brought back the old Throwing mechanic. You can throw lit Torches and Flares at Wolves to scare them off.

* Stone Throwing. You can now pick up and throw Stones in the world. Hitting a Rabbit with a Stone will stun it, providing an early-game option for hunting. Then you have to decide whether to kill or release it. Thrown Stones might even scare off a wolf, if you're very lucky.

* Struggle Weapon Choice. When you get into a Wolf struggle, you now have the option to select between available tools based on the outcome you're looking for: Scare off the wolf, Defend yourself from damage, or go for the Kill.

* First Aid Treatment. You can now treat Afflictions by using First Aid items directly from the Radial. The game no longer pre-selects the correct Treatment for you. Also, Old Man's Beard Dressings no longer require Bandages to Craft but only treat Infection Risk (and not Blood Loss).

* Optimizations. We've updated Unity a few times and worked on several optimizations to improve performance.

* Enhanced Graphics Options (Win/Mac/Linux Only): We've added a variety of Display and Quality settings so that you can customize your preferences to balance between beauty and performance.

* PS4 Controller Support: As we're bringing The Long Dark to PS4 on August 1st, you can now play the game with a PS4 controller.

* Crafting from Journal: You can now preview Crafting Blueprints in the Journal. All craftables that can be made without the use of a Workbench or Forge can now be crafted directly from the Journal. [NOTE: The current Journal is WIP and will be updated for our full August 1st launch.]
CRASH MITIGATION AND BUG FIXES

* Too numerous to list.

KNOWN ISSUES (Will be Hotfixed ASAP)

* Issue with Hunted, Part 1. We need to add a Bandage to the starting location.

* New Time of Day indicator should appear in both the Quick Stats and Radial UIs.

* Some localization strings did not make it into the build in time; we have the translations and they will be submitted in the next hotfix.

* Investigating issues with the game not loading on some Linux distributions.

FAITHFUL CARTOGRAPHER will be the last time we update the Sandbox in Early Access. Thank you for all your support of our game and studio over the years. We're very excited to share with you, our full launch of The Long Dark 1.0 on August 1st, 2017.

You have been a wonderful community and we look forward to continuing to build The Long Dark into the future. We hope you enjoy what we have created for you in WINTERMUTE, coming August 1st.

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When will the update be available for Xbox One? Also congrats!!! this is still by a veeeeery wide margin my favorite game. And im not even a huge survival game fan. Cant wait for them to add more first person presence (i.e. you see what you are wearing on the in game character)

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Also, when I first heard of the cartography mechanic, i gotta say i was skeptical. One of my favorite things about this game is the ability to get lost (especially in heavy fog and storms) but the way they seem to implement it makes sense and doesnt make the game all that much easier. So just wanted to say thanks for not adding a traditional in-game map! Also for not adding a compass. I know it wouldnt be immersion breaking to have one, but as stated, i just adore getting lost as an actual in game threat, and not just an annoyance. Thanks again Hinterland team!!!!